What a comeback that was.
Stage 1 - Sunday, July 8: London - Canterbury, 203km
Out of nowhere - Rockin' Robbie McEwen
By Gregor Brown
Rockin' Robbie McEwen came out of nowhere to take stage one of the 94th Tour de France. The 35 year-old Australian of Predictor-Lotto was held up in a crash with 23 kilometres to go but then amazingly found his way back into the sprinters' group to win his twelve Tour stage (on par with Erik Zabel).
"About 20 K to go I crashed... My teammates waited for me... After that it was not easy," said McEwen at the finish. "Anger and frustration got me to the line. On the first day of the Tour it was bad [to crash], and I had nothing to lose to try, and it worked out." His right hand was injured. "I will have to drink champagne with my left hand."
With his early escape, Scot David Millar (Saunier Duval-Prodir) takes the 2007 Tour's first Maillot Blanc à Pois Rouges of best climber while Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC) stayed safe to keep his race leader's Maillot Jaune.